Diversity List Honors 21 Manufacturers, Led by Novartis [SLIDESHOW]

1. Novartis

DiversityInc says a focused plan to improve human-capital results has propelled Novartis to the top of this year's list. President Andre Wyss has been a force, pushing for better metrics to assess demographic progress and accountability to ensure an inclusive workplace. The executive leadership team’s annual performance-management goals include a 20% weighting toward people-related objectives, which include specific diversity objectives.

7. Procter & Gamble

Having made the DiversityInc list for 10 of the last 11 years, Procter & Gamble continues to show progress in the talent-development pipeline and leadership in hiring and accommodating people with disabilities, DiversityInc reports.

9. Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson has strong diversity leadership under CEO Alex Gorsky, according to DiversityInc. Gorsky is the executive sponsor of two employee resource groups: the Women’s Leadership Initiative and the Veteran’s Leadership Council.

13. Abbott Laboratories

Abbott’s strong accountability and talent-development initiatives fueled its showing this year, DiversityInc says. The company links executive compensation to diversity metrics, including individual goals such as being an executive sponsor of an employee resource group or a cross-cultural mentor.

14. Merck & Co.

A consistent presence on the annual diversity list, the drug company has placed a strong emphasis on talent development and its employee resource groups. Merck has deep diversity leadership through CEO Kenneth Frazier, DiversityInc reports.

23. IBM

A longtime leader in diversity, IBM continues to provide an inclusive workplace and great opportunities for talent development. In addition, IBM has an exceptionally strong mentoring program, according to DiversityInc.

26. BASF

The Germany-based chemical company made the list for the second year in a row, rising five spots. Led by Chief Diversity Officer Patricia Rossman, BASF’s efforts to accelerate its hiring, talent development, employee resource groups and mentoring played significant roles in its showing.

27. Eli Lilly

The Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical manufacturer moved up eight spots from its showing on last year's list. DiversityInc says Lilly benefited from the strong commitment of CEO John Lechleiter, who personally signs off on compensation tied to diversity, meets quarterly with employee resource groups, and communicates frequently about the business benefits of diversity.

Novartis hit the summit after finishing No. 6 in last year's list. The company's president, Andre Wyss, says Novartis has worked hard to ingrain diversity into its operations. "We fundamentally believe it drives innovation, moves our business and our people forward, and, most importantly, directly impacts our ability to develop life-saving products and solutions," Wyss says.

More than 1,200 public and private companies competed for spots on DiversityInc's Top 50 list.

In addition to Novartis, 20 other manufacturing companies made this year's cut. Also finishing in DiversityInc's Top 10 were Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson.

Interestingly, this year's survey shows that Silicon Valley still has some catching up to do: Technology companies continue to lag behind other sectors in embracing diversity. While IBM and Dell made the list at No. 23 and 32, respectively, Microsoft fell off the list after appearing at No. 44 in 2013, and Apple declined to participate.

The accompanying photo gallery presents the Top 10 manufacturers in this year's Top 50 Companies for Diversity ranking.

Discuss this Gallery 1

It still boils down to QUOTAS even though I am sure none would admit it. The only real objective measure they have is percentages, And somewhere there is a dividing line between companies recognized for "diversity" and those not is that numerical threshold that defines the "right" level of diversity, aka a quota. And quptas are only achieved by using race FOR one person against another. In these cases it means white males under age 50 who never took part in any past acts of discrimination having their livelihoods and careers punished for things they had nothing to do with. All because of their skin color